The mission of the Kennett Consolidated School District is to provide a quality education that increases the achievement of every student in order for all to become successful and thoughtful contributors to society.

"Bancroft Elementary School is dedicated to creating a safe and rewarding educational experience for all children. Our goal is to focus on student success by fostering a positive, accepting and supportive learning environment where students are proud of the work that they do each day."

"Greenwood is comprised of hardworking students and dedicated teachers who measure success, not only in high-test scores, but also in lessons learned, problems solved, performances presented and projects completed."

"Mary D Lang Kindergarten Center has a balanced educational program that is focused on the whole child with experiences designed to expand the mental, physical, emotional, and social development of every student."

"Here at New Garden Elementary School we are committed to providing a nurturing and supportive learning environment for students to grow and feel successful while providing an excellent instructional program to meet the individual needs of all students."

"The entire Kennett Middle School staff believes that it is an honor and privilege to educate and care for the most prized possessions of our community, your children. We are a school that creates a well-balanced learning environment with high academic and behavioral standards."

"At Kennett High School, we hold our students to the highest of expectations both in and outside of the classroom. Together, we collaborate and communicate to ensure a positive learning environment where all students feel safe, welcomed, and inspired to improve each and every day...."

"KHS is very proud of our teams, coaches, and especially our student-athletes. They all do an outstanding job of representing KHS with hard work, dedication and sportsmanship both on and off the field."

"At Kennett High School, we hold our students to the highest of expectations both in and outside of the classroom. Together, we collaborate and communicate to ensure a positive learning environment where all students feel safe, welcomed, and inspired to improve each and every day...."

News

As the saying goes, “No one is more cherished in this world than someone who lightens the burden of another.” No one reflects this better than Mrs. Angela McGrath, office clerk at New Garden and Bancroft Elementary Schools. She assists students, parents, teachers, and administrators to help keep both elementary schools running smoothly.

Mrs. McGrath grew up in Kennett Square and attended St. Patrick’s School from the first grade until the middle of her fifth grade year. She then transferred to the Kennett Consolidated School District, where she remained until graduating from Kennett High School in 1974. In her senior year, she participated in the work-release program, which allowed her to work at the National Bank and Trust of Kennett Square in the Accounting Department. Upon graduation, Mrs. McGrath was offered a full-time position with the bank and stayed with the company for eight years.

“While attending Kennett High School,” says Mrs. McGrath, “I enjoyed taking business courses, including typing, shorthand, and accounting. The skills that I learned in high school supported my work when I was offered my full-time position at the bank.”

When her son entered kindergarten at Mary D. Lang Elementary School (now the Mary D. Lang Kindergarten Center) in 1982, she switched career tracks to work at the local Thriftway. Then, in 1996 after applying to work in the District, Mrs. McGrath was offered a position as a one-on-one instructional assistant at Kennett Middle School.

The student she was supporting at that time moved away midyear, so she began to work in New Garden Elementary School’s office in the mornings and at the high school office in the afternoons. At the end of that school year, she was offered a position at New Garden Elementary School as an office clerk and continued there until 2011. She now divides her time between New Garden and Bancroft Elementary Schools.

As an office and attendance clerk, some of Mrs. McGrath’s tasks include issuing purchase orders, delivering supplies, and assisting administrators and parents.

“Hopefully,” explains Mrs. McGrath, “with my work in attendance, I can help students and parents become more aware of the District’s policies to help them avoid potential notices of violation or other citations. My goal is to help students understand the importance of responsibility so that when they get into middle school and high school they can be more prepared.”

Mrs. McGrath enjoys every part of her job, from her coworkers to the students and parents. “The kindness and generosity of the parents and PTOs at both schools has been humbling,” she says. “Having students come up to me years later and outside of school to say hello and still remembering my name is always a highlight. I have attended graduation every year since my first year of students reached graduation, to support the students I serve.”

Outside of her work, Mrs. McGrath enjoys cooking for the family, beading and making jewelry, and visiting her favorite beach in Florida: Cocoa Beach. Her son, who attended school in the District from kindergarten through graduation, went on to attend Millersville University and is now a full-time professor at Strayer University. She has many pets, including 28 chickens, a turtle that a New Garden Elementary School student named Dribble, and a blue-headed Amazon parrot that she’s had for 18 years. Her newest project is keeping honeybees! Mrs. McGrath and her husband just celebrated 40 years of marriage.

In March 2017, the Pennsylvania Department of Health amended its regulations regarding school immunizations. These regulations take effect August 1, 2017 and will impact students for the 2017-2018 school year. The amendments will affect many students in the Kennett Consolidated School District and any student who is not in compliance by August 28, 2017 will face exclusion.

Changes taking effect:

The deadline for immunization verification is now the first day of the 2017-2018 school year, August 28th 2017. Previously, school administrators could work with students and families until well into the school year before a student faced exclusion. This is no longer the case. Any student who has not provided proof of immunization by August 28, 2017 will face exclusion.

All students need 4 doses of the polio vaccine, with the 4th dose AFTER their 4th birthday and at least 6 months after previous polio vaccine. This amendment could affect students of any grade.

For students entering the 7th grade, vaccinations remain the same (Tdap & Meningitis Vaccines), but are now subject to the new deadline of August 28, 2017.

Seniors in the 2017-2018 school year will now need a meningitis vaccine by August 28, 2017. This is the second of two meningitis vaccines that are required for students.

This month, letters were mailed to the parents/guardians of students who need vaccines prior to August 28th. If you have any questions regarding where your child stands, you can contact your school’s nurse before June 14.

The 2017-2018 student school year will begin on Monday, August 28, 2017, and is tentatively set to end on Thursday, June 7, 2018, dependent on the need for inclement weather make-up days. The winter holiday will run from Friday, December 22, 2017 through Monday, January 1, 2018, with school resuming on Tuesday, January 2, 2018. Spring break will be Monday, March 26 through Friday, March 30, 2018. Graduation is scheduled for Friday, June 8, 2018.

Six (6) inclement weather days are added to the end of the school year. There are five days designated as “local holidays” in accordance with the ruling of the Department of Education. The designated local holidays are Monday, January 15, 2018 (Martin Luther King holiday); Monday, February 19, 2018 (President’s Day holiday); and Monday, March 26 through Wednesday, March 28, 2018 (spring break).

Students and their families agree that the Kennett Consolidated School District’s second annual STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) Family Night was an overwhelming success. The evening was designed to encourage dynamic interactions among family members and increase awareness of the District’s STEM opportunities. Attendees participated in activities that focused on STEM principles by encouraging students and their families to build, create, and learn together.

Kennett Consolidated School District (KCSD) staff and students volunteered to operate 26 STEM activity stations. All the stations were designed for children ages kindergarten through eighth grade. Attendees had the opportunity to explore 3-D printing, create slime, conduct chemistry experiments, learn about the Blue Demon Robotics program, make their own soap, play math games, and test out computer apps.

Specific activity stations introduced students to what the District’s STEM program has to offer. A popular station with younger students was the Three Little Pigs engineering activity. At this station, students had to build a house from toothpicks and mini marshmallows that could withstand the huffing and puffing from the big, bad wolf (a hair dryer).
Maia Gibbons, a second grade student at Greenwood Elementary School, was proud when her paper bridge held up to the weight of a large book placed on top of it. While she credited her father, an engineer, for helping her, her father gave her full credit for the successful design.

“STEM Family Night is a great event for the entire family,” Kennett Middle School Principal Mr. Lorenzo DeAngelis said. “Parents have the opportunity to learn about the District’s STEM program, and students have the freedom to explore through age-appropriate activities.”

Malcolm and Lisa Stoddard have two children who attend Bancroft Elementary School. The Stoddard’s enjoyed the variety of activities and commented that their children had been looking forward to the evening.

Jeff Hsu and his wife, Weiying Gao, are both engineers. Their oldest son, Jeremy, is in fourth grade, and they commented that they appreciate that the multitude of hands-on STEM activities offered at his school are sparking his interest.

In 2011, a new club was founded at Kennett High School. Demon Robotics, now in its sixth season, welcomes all skill sets, technical or nontechnical, and has more than doubled in membership since its formation. This year, the team is proud to announce that it is headed to the FIRST World Championship in Saint Louis, Missouri, April 26 to 29!

According to its website, “FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) was founded in 1989 to inspire young people’s interest and participation in science and technology.” By developing accessible and innovative programs, the public charity hopes to motivate young people to pursue fields related to STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). Participating in these programs allows students to build not only robots but self-confidence, knowledge, and life skills. As FIRST says, it’s about “more than robots”—there is something for everyone on a robotics team.

“Demon Robotics makes Kennett a place where you don’t have to be athletic to go to a championship,” says Molly Hohner, a sophomore at Kennett High School who has been with the program for two years. “With Demon Robotics, our best qualities become the school’s best qualities. This program makes Kennett a place where, no matter what you want to do, you can achieve your dreams. Robotics brings a feeling of achievement to the students who participate and brings students together who may not have otherwise met.” Molly is the team’s secretary and marketing team lead.

All officers and team members of the club are Kennett High School students. This season, the team has 25 student members and 13 adult mentors. This season started off with a first for the team: at their first competition, at Westtown, they finished regular matches in first place, dominated in all the finals matches, and ended in second place. The team was also awarded the Industrial Design Award, sponsored by General Motors, which “celebrates form and function in an efficiently designed machine that effectively addresses the game challenge.”

At the second competition of the regular season, the FIRST Robotics Competition Mid-Atlantic Event at Springside Chestnut Hill Academy, the team finished first. After the qualification matches, the Demons finished with nine wins and three losses, placing them in third and securing their position as an Alliance Team Captain. Then, in the elimination matches, the team won all their quarter-final and semifinal matches, taking the team to the finals. To win in the finals, an alliance must win two of three matches. After losing their first match, the Demons came back strong to win matches two and three and secured a first-place win for the weekend’s event.

These performances and awards qualified the team to compete at the Mid-Atlantic Regional District Competition at Lehigh University in April. This highly competitive three-day event was another wonderful experience for the team to develop their skills on the field of play, technically, and networking through communications. Although the team came into the event placed fourth, they did not compete in the final rounds. The very last announcement at the end of the weekend’s event, after all the awards and recognitions were presented, was that one team in attendance had secured itself a place at the FIRST FRC World Championships in Saint Louis by its overall performance this season—and that team was team 4342, Demon Robotics!

Once the team had settled down from all the screaming (and some happy tears), there was some serious work to be done. The Worlds would be held eighteen days later, which meant transportation, lodging, logistics, and funding would all need to be sorted in a very short period. Team members were looking forward to another thrilling and fulfilling competition, so everyone got behind the effort, with families, the school, and the community showing support.

Thirteen students, eight mentors, and six additional parents traveled to Saint Louis for the six-day adventure, proudly representing Kennett on the world stage. Out of 400 teams, Demon Robotics played at the same level they had all season. At one point in the competition the team held the high-match score. The students reveled in the extremely high level of play, and enjoyed watching other matches as much as playing in their own as well as talking and networking with other teams.

The trip provided far more opportunities than just the competition: there were speakers and work sessions for students and mentors to attend. Universities that offer FIRST-specific scholarships were on hand in “Scholarship Row,” and hundreds of businesses and organizations that support and offer STEM careers and interests were available to talk with students about their future plans. Teams also attended a Cardinals game. Since so many students forgo their proms for this event, ours included, there was a full “Robo-Prom.”

“It wasn’t until I joined the robotics team that I truly had a chance to explore and figure out what engineering was. I fell in love with working in the shop and solving the problems,” says Sarah Ploener, a junior who has been on the team for three years. She serves as the team’s vice president and as team lead on the Chassis Build and Drive Team. “Every year our knowledge deepens, which is what being on the team is truly about. The success of this season shows us that we are improving and that we are doing what we are meant to do. Sure, receiving our first-place banner was amazing, but the real reward is proving to ourselves and our peers that we can do this.”

The team’s accomplishments this season indicates how far the team has grown in its six years. The entire team, students and mentors alike, are ecstatic about the results. They would like to thank all the people who came out to cheer them on; parents, family members, team alumni, and other Kennett High School students, in addition to the many people near and far who watched the livestream. Without their support and generous contributions from the community, the team would not have been able to experience this season and the successes that came along with it.

Ronan Gorman, a Kennett High School freshman in his first year of the program, says, “Demon Robotics has been a great opportunity for me and I have been very fortunate to have access to the many mechanical ideas, processes, and terms that have shown me what a future in engineering will be like. With the guidance and knowledge of my mentors, I have learned many techniques that ensure certain processes or tasks are completed well and efficiently. It has been a great opportunity to get a head start for my future in engineering.”

Interested in volunteering time, talent, or funding to the program? You can contact the club’s adviser, Mr. Dan Folmar, at Kennett High School, or see the team’s website for more information: www.demonrobotics4342.org.

The Kennett Education Association (KEA) held its 26th Annual Scholarship and Awards Reception, May 30, to recognize outstanding students for their academic merit and school citizenship. These students represent the excellence that the members of the Association encourage in the Kennett Consolidated School District.

The Kennett Education Association is the professional organization of teachers, librarians, guidance counselors, school nurses, and school social workers of the Kennett Consolidated School District. Each year members of KEA select students from different levels and disciplines for special recognition for their outstanding academic achievements and school citizenship qualities. The awards are funded by contributions from members of KEA. This event represents over $7500 in support by members.

Recognized for their performances at Kennett Middle School were eighth graders Alondra Herrera-Esquivel and Rio Jeffrey King who received certificates and $100 book gift cards.

Earning accolades at the high school level for excellence throughout their high school careers in their disciplines were seniors Jacqueline Tucker (Business Education), Lydia Pebly (English) Juan Martinez (Fine Arts), Zachary Hrenko (Mathematics), Yvonna Liszewski (Music), Gemma Erickson (Social Studies), Madison Brown (Technical Arts), Cullen Abelson (Science) and Henry Shattuck (World Languages). Each of these awards carried with it a check for $200.

Association President Michael Kelly presented the most prestigious award of the evening to senior Lydia Pebly who will be pursuing a teaching career. Mr. Kelly congratulated Lydia on winning the KEA Award in not only 5th grade and 8th grade but also two times that night. He also welcomed Lydia into the profession and commended her for her dedication to building the future. In her application letter, Pebly did not write about knowing that she wanted to be a teacher from early on. In fact, she wrote that that decision did not occur until this year.

Mr. Kelly remarked, “Lydia believes now that teaching is her purpose. Hoping to make an impact and inspire her students just as her teachers have impacted and inspired her.”

Mr. Kelly presented Ms. Pebly with scholarship money in the amount of $5000 to be paid over her four years of college.

Last week Kennett High School artists displayed their talents for their fellow students, teachers, staff, and the Kennett community. The show, held in the school’s auxiliary gym, was open to the public for viewing on Wednesday evening, and students and staff also had the opportunity to attend the show during the school day on Thursday.

The show included works from all visual arts classes within the Fine Arts Department, as well as the art honor society and the photo club. Teachers Mrs. Jodi Davidson, Mr. Tom Hironimus, and Mrs. Kathy Caputo Nelms guided their students through the creation and exhibition of their artwork; all three teachers are undeniably impressed by their students.

Mrs. Caputo Nelms said, “The artwork created by the students of Kennett High School is amazing. The exhibit featured a variety of drawings, paintings, photography, ceramics, and graphic designs. There was also a closing reception held by the Art Honor Society, attended by student artists, family, and friends.”

“Kennett High School art students are extremely hard working and incredibly talented. They are dedicated to getting better every day and being the best they can be. It is a blessing to be surrounded by such enthusiastic and committed students,” added Mr. Hironimus.

“The Kennett High School students in our Ceramics classroom constantly amaze me with their dedication, creativity, and willingness to explore new techniques and challenge themselves daily. I love working with the kids here at KHS, and each day is a new opportunity for everyone to continue to learn and grow as a student of life,” said Ms. Davidson.

Mr. Charlie Lewis, former Kennett Middle School teacher who creates etchings, and Mrs. Ellen Catanzaro, a painter and parent of junior art student, Claire, also displayed their work and were available to talk to students. And, the Gender Sexuality Alliance (GSA) used the opportunity to disseminate information and raise funds for the organization.

By all accounts, the show was a success. High school principal Dr. Jeremy Hritz observed, “The talents of our students are undeniable, and they were on full display at this year’s Art Show. It was an enjoyable experience to see the passion and creativity of our students embodied in the various works of art. KHS students are simply amazing.”

Avid readers agree that to open your mind, you need only open a book. Mrs. Colleen Thurmond, the Response to Intervention (RtII) Teacher at New Garden Elementary School, teaches students to use reading this way.

Mrs. Thurmond has taught everything from preschool to fifth grade in her 32-year career; 29 of those years have been at New Garden Elementary. She attended West Chester University and received her undergraduate degree in elementary education before receiving her master’s in literacy, allowing her to become a reading specialist.

“At each opportunity, I’ve learned so much about teaching,” explains Mrs. Thurmond. “I constantly strive to try new positions to learn more at every level. It has been a lot of fun to explore different opportunities.”

Mrs. Thurmond knew early on that she loved education, so after college she went right into teaching at the preschool level in Connecticut. Next, she got a classroom teaching position in South Carolina. She loves Southeastern Pennsylvania, so she moved back and got a job at Kennett Consolidated School District as a fifth-grade teacher. She has been with the District ever since. While her primary focus is on reading, she also enjoys teaching math, social studies, and science.

“When I first started teaching, I wanted to learn more about how kids learn to read,” says Mrs. Thurmond. “I was intrigued by the learning process. Response to Intervention covers reading, writing, and math. This approach looks at the whole child to see how they’re progressing across the board. Every aspect is considered. We even look to see if their behavior could be affecting their learning.”

Mrs. Thurmond puts interventions and strategies in place to be sure that every student is successful. If a student is struggling with fluency, for example, Mrs. Thurmond will have them do repeated readings. The idea behind this is that as a student re-reads a story or passage, they will begin to feel more comfortable with the words. The more comfortable they are with the words, the more they will comprehend the passage.

“I work with students in first through fifth grades, so it can be challenging to make sure all students are progressing. We look at math and reading data three times a year: fall, winter, spring. This lets me take the pulse and see how students are doing. Some students are monitored more frequently. Then, of course, I follow up to make sure that the strategies are working.”

Watching the students grow is a big reason why Mrs. Thurmond loves her work. Students begin in first grade as one type of learner and leave the school a whole new person, both academically and personally.

“I really get to know the students, and the parents too,” says Mrs. Thurmond. “It’s great fun to have that community feeling when working together with the students. It’s fun to see the spark in their eyes. Students will tell me ‘I can’t read’—then, usually around January, all the pieces begin falling together and they say, ‘I can read!’”

In addition to her role as the Response to Intervention (RtII) Teacher at New Garden Elementary School, Mrs. Thurmond is also a Shelter Instructional Observation Protocol (SIOP) facilitator and presenter for the District, as part of a program that helps students build their background knowledge to help them learn in the classroom. She serves on the English Language Arts (ELA) Committee, which is working on developing a “grammar scope” to look at what’s being taught and when. She is also on the Word Study Committee, which looks at phonics development and vocabulary from kindergarten through middle school and is evaluating materials that will benefit all learners.

Outside of school, Mrs. Thurmond loves to read and spend time with her husband of 30 years, Benton, and daughter, Jaime, who graduated from the Kennett Consolidated School District. She also loves to spoil her three pets: one dog and two cats. Her happy place is the beach.